Quick Takeaways
- Brad Garlinghouse says the U.S. crypto sector won’t return to the Gensler-era hostility, even if political power shifts.
- The Ripple CEO called traditional finance “hypocritical” for denying crypto firms equal access to Fed master accounts.
- He remains optimistic about regulatory clarity, saying Ripple’s $150 million court battle proved how rules should evolve.
Ripple CEO Says the ‘Ship Has Sailed’ on Anti-Crypto Policies
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse thinks the U. S. will not revert to the aggressive crypto insurance seen under late SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Mouth at DC Fintech Week, Garlinghouse said the industry has an effect beyond that chapter.
“Frankly, I think the ship has sailed,” Garlinghouse remarked. “You can’t put the genie back in the bottle in the United States. ”He added that even a change in the White House won’t bring back the hostile regulatory climate that previously stifled innovation.
Gensler’s Legacy and Ripple’s Legal Battle
Under Gary Gensler’s leadership, the SEC took a hardline stance on digital assets, classifying many tokens as securities. The agency set up multiple lawsuits, admitting its high-profile case against Ripple Labs.
The SEC accused Ripple of raising $1. 3 billion through an unregistered XRP cut-rate sale. A federal judge later ruled that programmatic sales didn’t violate securities laws, but institutional sales events did. That ruling brought partial clarity to how crypto plus might be categorized. Garlinghouse said Ripple’s years-long fight proved that regulatory clarity is possible even if it came at a steep legal cost.
TradeFi vs. Crypto Access
Garlinghousaimed at traditional finance, labeling it “hypocritical” for blocking crypto firms from accessing the Federal Reserve’s master account system.
“We should be held to the same AML and KYC standards as banks,” he said. “But we should also have the same access to infrastructure, like a Fed master account.”Hearguese that denying access while demanding obligingness breaks a double standard that harms both instauration and competitiveness.
Political Landscape and Legislative Hurdles
Garlinghouse, who has previously associated with former President Donald Trump, is intimately involved in ongoing policy treatment around digital plus. He observes that lawmakers from both political parties in Congress are actively working to mold how trypto diligence will be regulated.
The House passed a meter reading of a crypto grocery structure bill early this year, but progress has been held up in the Senate amid partisan disagreements.
Despite this, Garlinghouse said he’s optimistic: “The industriousness involves what Ripple already features pellucidity. We fought for it, and we’ll continue pushing so others can do good from the same. ”
Ripple’s Broader Message: Clarity Over Chaos
For Garlinghouse, the lesson from Ripple’s experience is that clear regulatory certainty drives innovation. He emphasized that crypto companies shouldn’t have to spend millions in court just to understand the law.
“We achieved clarity through a $150 million lawsuit and a federal judge,” he said. “But the entire industry deserves that same clarity without the cost.”With Ripple’s case now behind it, Garlinghouse believes the U.S. is past the point of no return and that the next phase will focus on integration, not isolation.
